Ministry of Municipality Announces Seed Localization Projects

Doha: The Ministry of Municipality's Agricultural Research Department announced advanced research projects to localize agriculture inputs, including seeds, leveraging peaceful nuclear technologies and biotechnology. These projects are part of the State of Qatar's efforts to find innovative solutions compatible with the major climate challenges including scarce water resources, rainfall and groundwater, and to boost food security as one of the goals of the Ministry's strategic plan 2024-2030. Director of the Agricultural Research Department, Hamad Saket Al Shammari, unveiled plans for three leading projects including developing the best practices to increase fodder production under saline conditions, disseminating heat-tolerant and high-quality greenhouse tomatoes, and producing local vegetables to achieve food security. Al Shammari pointed out that the first project is being implemented in partnership between the Agricultural Research Department and the International Atomic Energy Agency. Aisha Al Kuwari, a member of the second project team, said it focuses on developing and producing new tomato varieties that are able to withstand high temperatures, while at the same time enjoying high quality in terms of taste, texture and nutritional value. She added that this project is funded by the Qatar Research, Development and Innovation Council in cooperation with the Ministry of Municipality and the Plant Breeding Institute at the University of Sydney in Australia, and that it leverages techniques to evaluate 239 local and imported tomato varieties. On the third project Suwaid Al Malki, a member of the project team, said it aims to achieve self-sufficiency in vegetable production in Qatar, by developing new varieties that are compatible with local environmental conditions. This project is being implemented in cooperation between various research and agricultural bodies in the country, and the Plant Research Department provides all the material and technical capabilities to ensure the success and implementation of this important project. Source: Qatar News Agency